Sex & Fessenjoon, 2012

It’s not you, it’s me.

Really, work has swallowed me whole sorta. and its making me all sorts of LOOPY– like the other day, I watched 13 going on 30 all by myself (I hate chick flicks) and cried. Or that I spent Sunday shopping for limited edition Disney DVDs? Farrah says it might be because my life hasn’t been very emotional lately– and I think that is code for: its about that time for a douchebag to break my heart again.

Anyway, my sincerest apologies to you joonies, for my cold absence. And if thats not enough, please accept this amazing Calvin Harris song– after writing this post, I’ll be dancing naked to it in my empty apartment. #baller

And I hope all the people out on the East Coast ( and NJ–where I grew up)– are keeping safe. I know there are many ways to help in the relief effort, but even if you have only two minutes– text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10.

Now I’m not going to assume that all you joonies are reading from the land of the free, home of the brave- Amrika. But its a big day tomorrow– Election Day 2012, OBAMA VS. ROMNEY. Fight to the death.

Just kidding. Although I’d pay-per-view that any day.

I think Elections are exciting. I was 15 when I worked on my first campaign, going from house to house– “canvassing”. I couldn’t wait to vote, and when 2008 came around, I made my way to the polls and kept the “I Voted!” sticker as a souvenir.

Call me sentimental, call me idealistic, but I still believe voting is empowering.

I hear all the facts and stats of disillusioned voters, the undecideds, the people who think that abstaining sends more of a statement, but it doesn’t add up for me.

You can call politics a rigged game, but so is everything else that falls under its umbrella. And its a pretty big umbrella. By not participating you’re not sticking it to the man, you’re agreeing to be invisible.

I recently came face to face with someone who was disenchanted with voting…when it was his first time even doing it: my own brother.

He had decided not to vote because he felt that neither candidate was fit for the job–and that made me want to go tattle on him to Uncle Sam.

I was amazed. I’ve heard the “Why Choose the Lesser of Two Evils” argument, but I think its a crock of sh!T, and to have my own brother repeat it to me– it was like he was denouncing his loyalty (toldya I’ve lost my marbles)

And I want to respect my brother’s decision, because Politics, like Religion, is Personal. But I can’t help it if I find a big hole in his argument–

Sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two “evils”, because it actually helps to have the Lesser evil around.

If there was an Election with Satan and Saddam Hussein on the ballot, would you really not vote?

(Personally, I’d move)

You live under the system, you play by the system’s rules, and you try to create change from within– even if you think that change is minimal. Don’t tell me its all in vain if you don’t even participate to begin with.

& for everyone that 2012 will be their first election, educate yourself and be excited to vote. You have the rest of your life to turn into a disillusioned skeptic.

So, I guess what I really wanted to say to my brother was :

If you’re 18 and cynical, life’s going to be fucking hard. Put the twinkle back in your eye, and try to see change even where you think it’s not possible.

I’m not making this a PSA to go VOTE. because maybe we all just buy into different conspiracy theories (how Persian of us) and mine just happens to be idealistic and civic-duty-friendly. I just needed to drop my two cents, and I feel kinda bad now calling my brother out.

Comments

I would have chosen satan! Hahaha
I wish your argument was correct for Iran as well; that we should vote instead of being indolent. But, in contrary to our american fellas, I won’t vote for any candidate in Iranian election again whatsoever. I voted for Mir Hossein in hope for a better future. But, we duped ourselves coz there is no future with IRI in power.
However, we were green and we will stay green.